The field of ergonomics recognizes that repetitive manual operations can degrade the work efficiency of a human operator over time, with the cumulative stresses of repetitive motion potentially affecting the resultant product quality and/or process efficiency. Ergonomics is an evolving scientific discipline that ultimately seeks to understand and improve human interactions with the various pieces of equipment and tools within a work environment, e.g., keyboards, workstations, torque wrenches, control input devices, objects, and the like. Ergonomic design seeks to optimize all aspects of the physical work environment as it relates to human operators therein.
Ergonomic workspace configuration, when performed properly, may help to ameliorate the effects on an operator of some of the more common ergonomic stressors, e.g., repeated monitor viewing, seat height/positioning, and/or tool positioning. However, certain tasks may pose stresses on an operator that may not be lessened given even the most optimal of workplace configurations, for example repetitive manual operations requiring the grasping of an object by the operator. Repetitive grasping may ultimately degrade an operator's grip strength and productivity. Additionally, grip strength of an operator is itself a highly variable quality, with some operators being relatively strong or weak, whether due to stature, injury, or otherwise. Likewise, a given operator's grip strength may vary over time in response to work-related fatigue, potentially leading to relatively inefficient execution of any grasp-related work tasks.